Elastic top stocking



ELASTIC TOP STOCKING Filed Feb. 14, 1936 INVENTORS T a-" K E. MORRISHOWARD WAGNER BY THEIR ATTORNEYS MMM Patented May 23, 1944 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates to an elastic top stocking and process of makingsame, and more particularly to hosiery in which an elastic thread isknitted in a portion thereof for the purpose of holding the stocking inposition. The invention will be shown and described embodied in achild's anklet. One of the objects of this invention is to produce anelastic top sock or anklet in a simple manner, which will have animproved appearance.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side view of an anklet embodying the invention Fig. 2 is anenlarged view of the appearance of the top of the anklet with the upperedge of the fabric turned in; while Fig. 3 is an extended diagram of theface of the novel fabric, the upper edge being knit last, and showingthe interlooping of some of the courses in the top; and Fig. 4 is afragmentary diagram of the face of a. modified construction of the novelfabric.

The novel fabric illustrated in diagram in Fig. 3 of the drawing mayform part or all of the top, and the top may either be of the turnedwelt typ or a single thicknes welt or top type. This top is adapted tobe made on a single set or bank of needles but will have the appearanceof a coarse ribbed top. Any portion or all of the top which it isdesired may be made of the novel fabric shown in Fig. 3.

The top of the stocking consists of alternate groups of courses made ofcomparatively inelastic threads and groups of courses containingcomparatively elastic threads, but it should be understood. that whilethis is the form shown in the drawing, it is possible to make the sockor anklet with either or both kinds of groups made of single courses.Thus it is possible to make the novel anklet with one course made ofinelastic thread alternated with one course containing the elasticthread. The groups of plain thread courses are designated in Fig. 3 bythe reference character l, and the groups of elastic thread courses aredesignated by the reference character 8. It will be observed that thealternate elastic and inelastic courses constructed in the manner whichwill be set forth produce a contracted fabric (Figs. 1 and 2). Thecontraction is determined by the tension on the elastic thread due tothe use of the usual tension devices and is such as to produce a coarseribbed effect which is well defined and of pleasing appearance. Theconstruction also has an intaglio effect, as will be set forth later.

Turning now to the manner in which the fabric shown in Fig. 3 isconstructed, it will be observedthat each course 1 is made of plainfabric from a comparatively inelastic thread 8. On the other hand, eachof the elastic courses 8 is made solely and only of an elastic thread[0. In the courses I made of the inelastic thread 8 there is a stitch orloop in each wale in each course. This is not true however of thecourses 8 made of the elastic thread H). In each group of elasticcourses interlooped with each other, the elastic thread II is shownknitted into stitches inwales ll which are arranged in groups of 3, andthese are separated from each other by wales H which also are three innumber. In the wales l2 between the elastic knitted wales H, the elasticthread is floated. This alternation of three wales knit and three walesfloated in the courses 8 gives laterally spaced groups of stitches inthe wales II with intermediate floats H. There is no inelastic thread inthe elastic courses 8 and it therefore follows that there are nostitches in the floated wales H in the elastic courses 8. In the exampleshown in the drawing there are four courses 8 in each group of elasticwales and four courses I in each group of inelastic wales. The groups ofcourses 8 of elastic thread tend to contract the fabric in the directionof the courses, whereas the groups of the inelastic courses 'I have nosuch tendency. It should be noted that where there are no stitches inthe float wales II in the elastic courses 8, the loops I3 on the needleswhen the -last preceding inelastic course was finished rewales l2 tendto assist the elasticity of the rubber to make the loops in the elasticcourses 8 small, as shown in Fig. 3, and they tend to contract thecourses 8 in the direction of the wales. They also assist in making riband intaglio effects. It might be pointed out that the diagram in Fig. 3is made from the face of the fabric and that viewed from this side theelastic thread ID in the courses 8 lies back of the held plain stitchesl3 which extend from the last plain course 7 of one group to the firstplain course 1 of the adjacent group. The grouping therefore consists oftwo bands arranged in spaced relation to each other andif desiredalsothe top edge. (It will be understood of course that the diagrammaticshowing in Fig. 3 does not attempt to illustrate the effect ofcontraction of the fabric after it leaves the needles.)

After the anklet leaves the machine the top 5 has the appearance shownin Fig. 2. In this figure part of the top is turned in to make afinished edge. The most prominent features of the top are the verticalribs I5 which are constituted by the wales l2 due to the contractioncaused by the elastic floats l4. There is also an intaglio andhorizontal rib effect in the wales I l. Thus the stitches of elasticthread ill in the courses 8 and wales H are recessed or sunk between thestitches of inelastic thread in the courses 1 in the same wales ll.These recessed portions are indicated in Fig. 2 by the referencecharacter I5. Due to this intaglio the inelastic stitches in the walesll give a horizontal rib effect ll between the recessed portions l6while the vertical ribs l5 stand out beyond the horizontal ribs H andthe intaglio portions IS. The elastic thread ID in the finished fabricshows only at the intaglio portions I6.

The construction of the fabric having been set forth, the manipulationof an ordinary seamless hosiery machine to make such fabric will now beexplained.- It can also bemade on a flat machine. One of the advantagesof the anklet above described is that though it can be made on aseamless machine having only one bank or set of needles, theconstruction has all the advantages of an anklet knit on two banks.Assuming that the anklet is to be knit from top to toe, the machine canbe started up in any of the customary ways for plain fabric and thecourses 8 of the elastic thread begun at any point thereafter. At thispoint the elastic thread is thrown into action and immediatelythereafter the inelastic thread is thrown out of action. Simultaneouslythe needles-either by virtue of length of needle butts or by virtue ofjacks, such for instance as shown in the patent to Ivan W. Grothey No.1,678,385, dated July 24, l928-are separated into alternate groups ofthrees. Thus if alternate groups are made ever-active the interveninggroups of three's will correspond to the wales l2 and will be thrown outof action while making the courses 8 of elastic thread, by being drawnunder the knitting cams. The inelastic threadis kept out of action forfour courses and then the elastic thread is taken out and the inelasticthread put back and fed to all the needles. In one suitable embodimentof the invention there would be six groups of courses 8 of the elasticthread, each four courses wide, separated by groups of courses of theinelastic thread each four courses wide. After the desired number ofthese groups of special courses 8 have been inserted, the balance of thefabric can be knit in any conventional manner.

In Fig. 4 the fabric is shown as comprising the alternate courses la ofthe inelastic thread knit at all wales and the intervening courses 8a ofthe elastic thread knit at alternate wales only .and floated at theintervening wales. This fabric is knit in the same manner as the fabricof Fig. 3 except that the threads will be changed after each course isknit and in the knitting of the elastic thread alternate needles onlyare selected to take and knit the elastic thread, the elasticthread-being floated at the intervening needles.

In the foregoing description and in some of the claims, reference hasbeen made to alternate" with respect to wales and courses; by alternate"it is not intended to limit the invention to every other either asapplied to wales or courses, as the elastic and inelastic courses mayalternate in other than in a one and one relation, e. g., one and two,two and one, and two and two.

The elastic top of the anklet thus produced has a well-defined ribeffect and a pleasing appearance, due to the depth of the pattern andthe intaglio effect.

Many variations from the example given, which do not depart from thescope of our invention, will occur to those skilled in the art.

What we claim is:

' 1. A stocking knit of comparatively elastic and inelastic threads inwhich an elastic thread is knit in under tension in some courses but notin all the courses of the top, there being no stitches of comparativelyinelastic thread in said courses and the elastic thread in said coursesbeing knit in a plurality of adjacent wales and floated in a pluralityof wales in which there are no stitches knitted in the coursescontaining elastic thread.

2. A stocking knit of comparatively elastic and inelastic threads inwhich there are groups of courses of inelastic thread separated bygroups of courses knit of elastic thread under tension, said elasticthread being knit only in certain wales and floated in others, and theinelastic courses on either side of an elastic course group beingconnected directly to each other in the wales where the elastic threadis not knit in, thereby causing an intaglio and ribbed effect.

3. A stocking knit of comparatiyely elastic and inelastic threads inwhich an elastic thread is knit in under tension in certain courses andis not present in others alternately, said elastic thread being knit inin certain wales in those courses where present but not in the otherwales in those courses in repeated sequence, there being inelastic loopsin the wales where the elastic yarn is not knitted in, each extending'across the courses containing elastic from one inelastic course toanother, whereby an intaglio effect is obtained.

4. A stocking plain weft knit of comparatively elastic and inelasticthreads in which an elastic thread only is knit in under tension incertain courses and omitted in others in repeated sequence in the top,the elastic thread in the courses where present being incorporated in aplurality of successive wales and floated-over a plurality of successivewales in repeated-succession, with the result that a vertical rib effectis produced.

5. A stocking plain weft knit of comparatively elastic and inelasticthreads in which an elastic thread only is knit in in spaced groups ofcourses in the top and omitted in others in repeated sequence, theelastic thread in the courses where present being incorporated inaplurallty of successive wales and floated over apluraility ofsuccessive wales in repeated succession, whereby a vertical rib effectis produced. I

6. A stocking knit of comparatively elastic and inelastic threads inwhich an elastic thread is knit in under tension in a plurality ofimmediately succeeding interlooped courses of stitches, there being noother thread knit in said courses and the elasticthread in said coursesbeing knit in pluralities of adjacent wales and floated in pluralitiesof wales alternately so as to produce a ribbed effect.

'7. A plain knitted, seamless stocking fabric comprising wales andcourses, a relatively inelastic yarn alone knitted in alternate coursesonly and a relatively elastic yarn knitted in intermediate courses only.the relatively inelastic yarn being knitted at all of the wales in thesaid alternate courses and the said elastic yarn being knitted atalternate wales only in the said intermediate courses, the said elasticyam being knitted under a light tension and in a suflicient number ofcourses to cause the intermediate wales to appear as rib wales on theouter face of the fabric.

8. A seamless plain knitted stocking top comprising, throughout thegreater portion thereof, alternating courses of elastic and inelasticyarns, said inelastic yarn being knitted at every wale and said elasticyarn being knitted at alternate wales only and floated acrossintervening wales, said elastic yarn being knitted under light tensionand producing a rib effect.

9. A method of knitting a seamless stocking top with one set ofindependent needles, said method including feeding a relativelyinelastic yarn to all the needles in alternate courses and causing thesaid needles to knit the said yarn,

and feeding an elastic yam only to alternate needles, the said alternateneedles knitting the said elastic yarn to constitute courses interveningbetween the first mentioned courses, and imposing a light tension uponthe elastic yarn, all for the purpose of causing alternate wales toappear as face wales in the knitted fabric.

10. In a plain knit seamless stocking, a top portion comprisingrecurring plain knit courses of inelastic thread and intervening coursesknit of an elastic thread only, said elastic thread being knitted atrecurring wales and floated at the intervening wales in each course andcausing the intervening wales to appear as rib wales at the face of thefabric.

11. In an article of hosiery, a leg portion comprising a body having atop, said top comprising courses of elastic thread only and courses ofinelastic thread, the elastic thread being knit in recurring wales andfloated at the intervening wales, the elastic thread being present inrecurring courses and absent from the intervening courses, the normallength of elastic thread where floated being less than the normal lengthof the corresponding portion of the inelastic fabric to draw in theinelastic fabric both at and between elastic-carrying courses.

His

FRANK E. X MORRIS.

Mark HOWARD WAGNER. Witnesses to mark:

Jorm N. GOTWALS, Jarmn: E. Moaxrs.

' CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,5h9,7h6. May 25, 191A.

- FRANK E. MORRIS, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2,secand column, line 56, claim 5, for the words "in repeated sequence"read "alternately"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read withthis correction therein that the same may conform to the record oi thecase in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this l th day of July, A. D. 19%.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

